1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an interchangeable-lens camera system, and more particularly, to an interchangeable-lens camera system having a waterproof mount mechanism, and a photo-taking lens barrel and camera body used in said interchangeable-lens camera system.
2. Description of the Related Art
As conventional waterproof mount mechanisms for an interchangeable-lens camera system, a design in which the gap between the camera body cover and the camera body-side mount surface and the gap between the camera body-side mount surface and lens barrel are individually sealed (Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Hei 1-111231) and a design in which cylindrical members are located around the mount surfaces of the lens barrel and the camera body such that the cylindrical members are connected, with one placed inside the other, and in which a sealing member such as an O-ring is used for the gap between the cylindrical members (Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Hei 3-11234 and Hei 4-9930) are available, for example.
The design of the former utility model, however, uses a double-seal structure in which the gap between the camera body-side mount surface and the camera body cover is sealed in advance and the area of the camera body to which the lens barrel is attached is then sealed, which makes the design complex. With the design of the latter utility model, on the other hand, only one area at which the lens barrel is attached to the camera body is sealed, and therefore, the latter construction is simpler than the former design in terms of how the sealing is achieved. However, because when the photo-taking lens barrel is mounted to the camera body, it is necessary to push the lens barrel into the camera body during a certain stroke while compressing the sealing member between the inner and outer cylindrical members, the feel of the mounting of the lens barrel becomes hard during that stroke.